Stuart Lowden, the Managing Director of Wilson James, has been selected as the Infologue.com Building the Future Award winner 2006. The Infologue.com Building the Future Award is awarded to the person who in the view of the majority of previous winners has created the most significant footprints towards a vibrant, professional and mutually profitable guarding industry during each year. This award is presented jointly by the Editors of Infologue.com and SMT and sponsored by Interconnective Limited. From 2004 the winner will write an essay on their take of our industry in transition. The essay provides an insight into the thinking of industry leaders.
Stuart Lowden CPP, FSyI is Managing Director of the specialist security guarding company, Wilson James. Originally trained as a Chartered Accountant, he has worked within the security industry for the past 25 years and is one of only 95 qualified Certified Protection Professionals in the UK. He is actively involved in a number of prominent industry bodies and is currently chair of the UK Chapter of ASIS International. In addition, Stuart sits on the Council of the Security Institute and is on the Board of Skills for Security, chairing the Stakeholder Management Group. Stuart is probably best known for his outspoken stance on the working hours of security officers, believing that a radical change is needed if the industry is ever to become a career of choice, rather than one of last resort. In his mind no self-respecting young man or woman would look twice at an industry that expected them to work the cocktail of shift work and long hours served up by most employers. Stuart joined Wilson James in 1997 and put into place the radical changes he believed were necessary for long term success. From the very start the old style 56 hour week was replaced by a modern 42 hour roster. Staff were allowed to work some overtime but the choice was theirs, long hours were not forced on them. This fresh approach to staff welfare, backed by a range of training and development initiatives, won Wilson James the accolade of Best Guarding Company at the Security Excellence Awards for three years running. More importantly, Stuart and his management team have proved that contracts are not always won on price, that there are clients out there who are willing to pay a little bit more so that valued security staff can enjoy the same quality of life as their own employees.